Convenience transactional machines operable directly by end users exist in a variety of forms. There are, for example, ATMs (automatic or automated teller machines) which dispense money, thereby avoiding the lines common in banks, and also providing access to funds in a multitude of locations and after normal banking hours.
Coin counting machines are also commonplace. Many of these machines require an experienced operator and are not geared for use by the end user. Those machines operable by the end user generally provide the user with a voucher redeemable for cash or merchandise. The end user must then wait in line, and perhaps even travel to a different location, to redeem the voucher for cash or merchandise.
Telephone operated machines which sell movie or event tickets with credit card payments and remote ticket pick up are also known. There are a variety of machines which, by way of example, dispense stamps, tickets, coupons, money orders, bank transactions or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,967 by Smith discloses an exemplary money order dispensing machine. Although it offers convenience with a quick and efficient method for dispensing money orders, this machine is meant to be operated by a system operator, not the end user or customer, and therefore does not require the capability to receive money. The '967 device is intended for clerks, not end users; it is merely dispensing money orders, and not actually transacting the sale. (The sale is a separate transaction, where the clerk receives the money from a customer.)
Similarly, there are machines that dispense lottery tickets, but again, they are meant to be operated by a system operator, not a customer, and therefore do not require the capability to receive money.
Although the conventional transactional machines all provide a limited level of convenience, they do not provide an integrated array of services directly to the end user. In addition to being single function machines, those machines presently available generally require an attendant to receive money and operate the machine, and are not independently operable by the end user. Coin machines presently do not offer financial transactions in exchange for coins. Convenience machines currently available generally do not offer the convenience of multiple transactions, do not offer the convenience of multiple payment sources, and do not offer the convenience of self service by the user. Bill paying services generally available are through a subscription, or an automatic withdrawal from a bank account. Further, it is well recognized and appreciated that there is a shortage of personnel necessary to provide a full complement of retail service employees.
Therefore, what is needed is a self-contained user-operable coin machine with multi-transactional capability. Preferably, such a coin counting machine would not be limited to coin transactions, but rather would be capable of accepting currency, debit cards, credit cards, smart cards, and the like.